Steering assemblies for heavy vehicles and hauling equipment typically include steering components such as steering members and steering hubs that are pivotally coupled to the frame of the machine or vehicle being steered. Linkages, such as tie rods, are pivotally connected between the steering member and the hub so that movement of the steering members causes a corresponding rotation of the hub to turn the wheels or an articulated portion of the frame to steer the machine or vehicle. Shock absorbers or other damping mechanisms may also be pivotally coupled between the frame and the hub to dampen the movement of the steering assembly to prevent damage to the steering components. The tie rods and shock absorbers are typically connected at each end by socket assemblies that provide some rotational freedom of the tie rods and shock absorbers to further prevent damage from occurring.
The socket assemblies in many implementations include spherical bearings facilitating the desired movement. Spherical bearings typically include a steel alloy or ceramic ball disposed within a steel alloy outer race retained within a cylindrical inner surface of a rod end. The outer race defines an inner surface contoured to receive the spherical ball therein. The ball slides and rotates relative to the outer race to provide the desired degree of freedom of movement. A lubricant is typically provided between the spherical ball and outer race to reduce friction and increase the useful life of the bearing. The outer race and, correspondingly, the ball and lubricant are retained in the inner surface of the rod end by a cover, retainer or bearing cap.
In current implementations, the cover is press-fit into the inner surface of the rod end and/or secured by a snap-ring retainer to retain and seal the outer race and lubricant within the rod end. An example of such a cover is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,607, issued on Dec. 20, 2011 to Gaumer and entitled, “Spherical Bearing for a Steering Joint.” The Gaumer patent teaches a spherical bearing having a cover positioned in a portion of a bore adjacent to a cover end of the outer race and secured in place by a retaining ring. Lubricant can be placed in the bore of a bearing receiving section when the cover is removed. When installed, the cover helps retain the lubricant in the spherical bearing and provide a barrier to foreign matter entry into the rod end.
Lubricants such as oil and grease may be added and sealed within the rod end when the bearing retainer is installed. Fill openings may be provided in the bearing retainer to facilitate the initial infusion of lubricant if the retainer is already installed, or to provide additional fresh lubricant after a period of use. One issue with greasing or lubricating with the presently known bearing retainers and covers is that a large portion of the lubricant escapes around the retainer or cover if the retainer or cover is not perfectly sealed when it is press-fit or the snap-ring retainer is installed. The issue may occur due to the sizing of the bearing retainer, the snap-ring retainer and the inner surface of the rod end, or due to misalignment during installation. As the lubricant escapes from the socket assembly, the friction between the moving components increases and ultimately causes premature failure and need for replacement of the socket assembly before the end of its design life. In view of this, a need exists for an improved bearing retainer that is reliably installed to form a sufficient seal that prevents leakage of lubricant from the socket assembly and the corresponding reduction in the useful life of the socket assembly.